channeling is the process of communicating with spirits who are not currently inhabiting bodies.

The usual method for channeling is for the channeler to allow the entity being channeled to come into his or her energy space and to, to a greater or lesser degree, take over the body with the permission of the channeler. One of the fundamental "rules" or "laws" in any endeavor involving spirits is that there can be no overriding of another entity's free will. Period. If on entity tries to override another, severe consequences will occur.

Once the invitation has been made, then the process of connecting takes place. If the channeler is a trance channel, s/he goes into trance sometime around here, and the entity then takes over some control of the channeler's faculties and allows the entity to speak. If the channeler is a more conscious channel, then a more conscious arrangement is arrived at whereby the entity being channeled steps into the energy field of the channeler, but the channeler remains aware of his or her surroundings.
During the process of channeling, the channeler is either more-or-less fully aware of his or her surroundings, or is off somewhere in a virtual room where the translation is taking place. The trance channel may later not recall what took place in that room, while the conscious channeler usually does.

Here's a list of the kinds of entities that can be channeled, more or less in order of spiritual awareness and development.

• Regular human beings, including yourself.
• Inhabitants of the elemental world.
• Aliens
• Ascended and enlightened masters and angelic sorts of beings.
• The god and goddess of this area.
• The god/goddess who created our god and goddess.
• The rulers of the universe.